533 I Want It (4)
Chang Zaiqing was very different. She was also a very talented woman, but Chang Zaiqing did not have the arrogance and aloofness of a rich family. Instead, she was quite straightforward. When he spoke to Chang Zaiqing, he felt very comfortable. Unknowingly, Shen Wan’s eyes lingered on Chang Zaiqing longer and longer.
Nanny Zhao watched from afar, a trace of joy flashing across her eyes. She instructed the maids to guard the courtyard door and not let anyone in.
…
In Ming Qi’s palace, it was especially lively today.
In order to entertain the two guests from the State of Qin and the Daliang Dynasty, the crown prince of Ming Qi specially held a banquet. The crown prince and princess of the State of Qin were present, and Prince Rui of the Daliang Dynasty also accepted the invitation. The nine princes of Ming Qi attended the banquet together.
It was a fact that the crown prince’s health was getting more and more serious. It was precisely because of this that even Prince Chu and Prince Xuan, who sided with the crown prince, were starting to think about joining other factions.. In the past two years, the crown prince’s power was gradually being taken by other princes. Almost everyone tacitly agreed that the crown prince would not be in the position for long. The crown prince probably realized that in the past two years, he had rarely participated in the affairs of the imperial court. It was not that he did not want to participate, but there were too few people who followed him.
On the other hand, the two brothers, Prince Zhou and Prince Jing, as well as Prince Li, were doing exceedingly well. Prince Li had always been a two-faced person with many followers. As for the two brothers, they relied on their mother, Consort Xu. These two factions were now at odds with each other.
The most stable one was Prince Ding, Fu Xiuyi. Prince Ding had also been participating in the matters of the imperial court for the past two years, but most of the things he handled were very trivial, as if he was deliberately trying to show that he was not ambitious. Even so, Emperor Wen Hui was very satisfied with him. Because of the neutrality and peace he displayed, no matter if it was the crown prince, Prince Zhou, or Prince Li, they weren’t particularly wary of him.
Prince Ding was the safest person.
In the hall, the crown prince smiled and raised his glass in invitation. “Everyone, thank you for making the trip all the way to Ming Qi.”
Huangfu Hao sat next to the crown prince and raised his cup to clink it with the crown prince’s. He smiled and said, “Thank you for your hospitality, crown prince.”
Princess Ming An sat beside Huangfu Hao. After being grounded by Huangfu Hao for a few days, Princess Ming An was finally allowed to go out. Today, she looked at the purple-robed young man sitting opposite her with a loving gaze.
Unfortunately, Prince Rui did not look at her at all. However, he did not look at the crown prince either. Instead, he stared at the wine cup, thinking about something.
The crown prince smiled and asked, “Prince Rui, why don’t you drink? Is the wine not to your liking?”
Prince Rui curled his lips and said, “I’m not feeling well. It’s not appropriate for me to drink.”
Prince Rui had been mysterious since he came to Ming Qi, and no one could tell what his attitude was towards Ming Qi, but he was well-mannered. Today, everyone present could not help but think that Prince Rui seemed to be a little unhappy.
But who dared to provoke him for no reason?
The crown prince looked a little embarrassed. Fu Xiuyi said, “In that case, Prince Rui, you can drink tea instead of wine. Someone, serve Prince Rui tea.”
Fu Xiuyi spoke to alleviate the tense atmosphere. The crown prince looked less embarrassed and was grateful to Fu Xiuyi. The other princes all agreed with Fu Xiuyi. Although Prince Rui was powerful, no one was willing to lower themselves in front of other countries. Fu Xiuyi’s witty remark came just in time.
